In the early 20th century, Chinese reformers undertook the New Culture Movement to push back against outmoded cultural institutions and equip people with “new thought” for a modern era. Hu Shi’s involvement in the New Culture Movement took a two-pronged approach. He sought to reassert the ancient foundations of logical thought and lay the cultural foundation for these ancient intellectual resources to mature in the modern day. This latter ambition was the work of the Literary Revolution. This essay looks at the Literary Revolution through a Sophistic lens to see how Hu’s ideas on the Sophists influenced the rhetorical impetus of his reform and to clarify his legacy. Hu Shi’s belief in the creative potential of cultural forces stands out as a primary point of Sophistic influence. His legacy is both a warning and a promise. Hu Shi warns us of the wastefulness of force and promises great potential for creative doubt in a culture that values education and the open competition of ideas.
[Rya Butterfield. Hu Shi’s Literary Revolution: Reform with Sophistic Characteristics. China Media Research 2017; 13(2): 3-12]. 2

Chinese Soft Power and Its Reception: A Critical Comparison of the CCTV and NBC Presentations of the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games

In light of the China’s ongoing soft-power campaign to influence American public opinion and create a gentler impression of the country’s growing footprint in the world, it is instructive to critically analyze a seminal, perhaps foundational moment in that effort and how it was received. The Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing offers such a moment. This essay critically analyzes the coverage for the Chinese audience ofthe Opening Ceremony by ChinaCentral Television (CCTV) and the presentation for American viewers by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) of the United States. Each broadcast rhetorically constructs strikingly different ideological narratives in pursuit of the same goal –namely, to fully integrate China into the global, capitalist order. For CCTV, China has finally righted a longstanding historical injustice and established itself as a co-equal nation among nations. For NBC, China is presented in an Orientalized gloss,and ambivalence is the watchword. The NBC presentation projects anxiety, uncertainty, as well as guarded optimism about China's rise. The differences in the broadcast narratives reflect potentially deep ideological conflict.
[James R. Schiffman. Chinese Soft Power and Its Reception: A Critical Comparison of the CCTV and NBC Presentations of the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. China Media Research 2017; 13(2): 13-22]. 3

Mo Yan’s award of the Nobel Prize in Literature provoked competing voices in the global Chinese media, ranging from official media to online citizen forums, and from Chinese mainland media to overseas Chinese Internet forums. Drawing on Symbolic Convergence Theory (SCT) and Fantasy Theme Analysis (FTA), our study explores to map the metaphorical symbolic landscape of different media responses. Our findings indicate that there were four rhetorical visions shared among media treatments of Mo Yan’s award, which were further illustrated alongside five value orientations: nationalism, moralism, pragmatism, liberalism, and orientalism. Our cross-media mapping suggests: a) the dominant rhetorical response of Chinese official media implied a recognition of the Nobel Prize in Literature as the supreme authority in world literature; b) the Chinese official media applied the “Rise of China” as the main message, and the “Fame Follows Merits” as a subsidiary message in constructing its mainstream rhetoric—both of which were ideas sanctioned by nationalism and moralism; c) Chinese netizens in civil online forums and official media shared the same value orientations, but presented two opposite fantasy types; d) the overseas Chinese forums presented “Communist Dictatorship,” “Oriental Empire,” and criticisms of Orientalism, which were missing in both official and Internet discourses in China.
[Mei Wu & Wen-bo Zhu. Rise of China or Western Conspiracy? A Fantasy Theme Analysis. China Media Research 2017; 13(2): 23-36]. 4

VICTORY & PEACE: The Use of Metaphors in Chinese President Xi Jinping’sV-Day Speech

This paper examines Chinese President Xi Jingping’s speech as a rhetorical effort to provide meanings to a military parade showcase and the commemoration of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War of Resistance. We argue that Xi employs two metaphors to convey his political vision. The VICTORY cluster is used to enshrine the domestic audience’s memory about the War, and to enhance national confidence in Xi’s administration. The PEACE cluster is used to justify the military parade and to construct Xi’s vision on international relations. Both metaphors are complementary and contribute to shaping domestic and global public perceptions of the history, the present, and the future of China.
[Chunyu Zhang & Benjamin R. Bates. VICTORY & PEACE: The Use of Metaphors in Chinese President Xi Jinping’sV-Day Speech. China Media Research 2017; 13(2): 37-45]. 5

Based on examination of expressed opinions and views, online or offline, this essay attends to talks or discussion about democracy. These talks are taken as discursive manifestation of sociocultural aspirations revealed in a sample of contemporary deliberative rhetoric in China. A selective, small survey of related discourses identifies three arguments for two positions about China and democracy. Historical events, analogy and comparison are shown to remain favored rhetorical strategies in such deliberation.
[Ling Chen. A Preliminary Analysis of Discourses about China and Democracy. China Media Research 2017; 13(2): 46-53]. 6

In March 2012, the Central Committee of China’s ruling Communist Party issued the “Suggestions on Strengthening Activities to Learn from Lei Feng” – a peace-time soldier who died in an accident in 1962. Lei Feng became a model of socialist citizenship in 1963, when his alleged diary, which celebrates selflessness, class struggle and the inspiring effects of Mao Zedong Thought, was upheld during a national campaign to “Learn from Lei Feng”. Today, China’s government is promoting Lei Feng to encourage volunteering. Numerous reports suggest that public reactions to the revived use of Lei Feng are cynical and disbelieving, highlighting the Party-state’s recourse to anachronistic propaganda. The paper explores the history and altered nature of Lei Feng’s fame and the responses of 415 university students to survey questions about him. Contrary to received wisdom, these responses indicate that he is viewed as a relevant symbol of helping others. The findings call into question the adequacy of the term “propaganda” to describe either the multiple content that comprises the contemporary figure of Lei Feng, or the nature of public service communication campaigns in present-day China.
[Elaine Jeffreys. Understanding the Lei Feng Revival: Evidence from a Survey of Chinese Students. China Media Research 2017; 13(2): 54-66].7

This essay attempts to probe the application of the war metaphor, more specifically, Mao’s concept of people’s war, in China’s Anti-SARS campaign in 2003. The analysis focuses on the ideological foundation and rhetorical inventions revealed in the speeches of Chinese leaders and the People’s Daily’s coverage of China’s Anti-SARS campaign. The essay concludes with a discussion of implications for leadership and campaign management practices.
[Canchu Lin. Leader as Rhetor: An Analysis of China’s Anti-SARS Campaign. China Media Research 2017; 13(2): 67-74]. 8

Chinese news coverage of public health issues such as infectious diseases can shape public responses to these issues. Previous studies have examined how Chinese news outlets have framed a range of diseases; however, such research has typically focused on coverage of a single disease at a time. To provide a step toward a broader understanding of the topic, the present study analyzed how a leading Chinese news agency, Xinhua, framed SARS and Ebola—infectious diseases that originated inside and outside China, respectively. A quantitative content analysis of 500 Xinhua stories (250 about SARS and 250 about Ebola) found that the news agency used the economic effects, responses by domestic government(s), reassurance, and confidence in government frames more often for SARS than Ebola, whereas it used the health effects and responses by international government(s) frames more often for Ebola than SARS. A qualitative framing analysis suggested that Xinhua framed the diseases in ways that promoted a positive image of the Chinese government as successfully managing SARS at home and fighting Ebola abroad. These patterns in framing may reflect government influence on Chinese news organizations as well as the increasing global role of China in addressing international public health crises.
[Jin Li, Paul R. Brewer & Barbara L. Ley. Chinese News Coverage of Diseases with Domestic versus Foreign Origins:An Analysis of Xinhua Framing of SARS and Ebola. China Media Research 2017; 13(2): 75-85]. 9

Media Hurts: Perspectives of People Living with HIV on HIV Stigmatization in Chinese Media Discourse

Recent study findings revealed serious HIV stigmatization in Chinese media discourse. However, it is unknown how people living with HIV (PLHIV) responded to the media’s stigmatizing practice, particularly language identified by previous studies. The current study, using a rare opportunity for access, interviewed individuals living with HIV in China, and explored their perspectives on HIV stigmatization in media. Overall, the findings provide health communication experts and anti-stigma advocates new evidence of HIV stigmatization in the media context. Perspectives from PLHIV confirmed the notion that Chinese media tend to reinforce the dichotomous relationship of health moral us and diseased immoral them. Specifically, this study found that PLHIV reported that media stories about HIV/AIDS tended to stereotype and overstate threats to the non-affected population, caused PLHIV to curtail their own media consumption, and acted as barriers to seeking adequate healthcare. Stigmatizing news stories may interfere with anti-stigma efforts and creating barriers to better health policies in China. Implications for intervention are discussed.
[Chunbo Ren & Edgar Simpson. Media Hurts: Perspectives of People Living with HIV on HIV Stigmatization in Chinese Media Discourse. China Media Research 2017; 13(2): 86-98]. 10

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